Moremopars4ed
Member
Is that 440? Or b block
400 into 65 valiant
- Thread starter Moremopars4ed
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moper
Well-Known Member
440
Hey, I'm doing what you're doing. I've got a 500" engine, tho.
Do you mind if I join your thread?My first and most pressing issue is engine mounts. I contacted Mancini who were selling engine mounts specifically foR B/RB engines in early-A but they're on back order, at least six months when I asked.
I don't mind fabricating my own but I don't know where to begin. Where is the engine suppose do sit with respect to the K-frame? I've got the K-frame out and the engine on a stand so I can measure freely and cut and weld as much as I want but where do I start?
/Anders
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Hey, I'm doing what you're doing. I've got a 500" engine, tho.
My first and most pressing issue is engine mounts. I contacted Mancini who were selling engine mounts specifically foR B/RB engines in early-A but they're on back order, at least six months when I asked.
I don't mind fabricating my own but I don't know where to begin. Where is the engine suppose do sit with respect to the K-frame? I've got the K-frame out and the engine on a stand so I can measure freely and cut and weld as much as I want but where do I start?
/Anders
According to TTI, the crankshaft centerline should be 4-3/4" from the K-frame for small blocks. I would use that as a good starting point when locating a big block. Footnote #39
There's some info on where I located the BB in my 66 in this thread: Early A Big Block And Motor Plate
Good to see people still stuffing big blocks in these little early A's! Someone asked "why?" LOL I say WHY NOT?!
PRH
Well-Known Member
Neat car!
DrCharles
Well-Known Member
I only know about '67-up, but engines in those are offset 1-1/2" to the passenger side as well. Are they centered in the early A's?
Thank you! That's a great starting point!
How about front to back? Is there any kind of reference I could use? I suppose moving it back makes weight distribution better but considering a transmission needs to fit behind it ...
Couldn't agree more!
The "Footnote" link says 1 1/4" for a small block in an early-A.
mopowers
Well-Known Member
The crank centerline for a SB early A is actually offset 5/8" to the passenger side - according to TTI anyway. The difference between pass and driver's side frame rail to crank centerline measurements are twice that, obviously (1-1/4"). Mine landed at 9/16" to the pass side (1-1/8" total).
I did what most folks do and bolted up the transmission mount to locate the engine and transmission front-back. Though you could put it however far back/forward you wanted depending on how much extra work you want to do.
That sounds like the clever way to do it. Big thank you!
It'll fit and bolt right in with no exhaust. Beyond that, I don't know yet, as all I've done is tons of measuring. Also there ARE factory pieces that will make it happen. However, you do have to modify them. I haven't done any actual work yet, as my 170 is still runnin strong, but the time will come hopefully this year after I find a bellhousing. Then I will start mocking it all up. My hangup is going to be the three on the tree column and linkage. If I cannot get the driver's side exhaust and the column linkage to play well together, I will probably leave the car a slant six. The three speed on the column is that important to me. I don't want to change it. I've done some preliminary measuring with that and things actually look better than I thought. Of course I won't know for sure, until I do the install, but so far "I believe" it might fit. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it will bolt in without manifolds and I am 100% positive the passenger side manifold will fall in and fit, as I've seen pictures from someone else's project.
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The 68-69 B body HP manifolds do fit the early A with with a low deck with the steering column body trimmed to the firewall and floor shift. There was a guy over on Big Block Dart that did one and it fit good. It was a blue early A. He had some good pictures, too.
Moremopars4ed
Member
I believe they are offset as well. And sit farther forward on k frame
Curiousyellow71
Active Member
We are in the throws of doing the early A w a 383 conversion as well.
I think we are going to make the motor mounts. I likely will draw them out and cut them out with our plasma table. We are capable of mass producing them if they fit good. Currently doing b body hp manifolds. But are experimenting w all choices. EVERY 1/8 inch counts on this swap. Have a thread going in the early a section.
I think we are going to make the motor mounts. I likely will draw them out and cut them out with our plasma table. We are capable of mass producing them if they fit good. Currently doing b body hp manifolds. But are experimenting w all choices. EVERY 1/8 inch counts on this swap. Have a thread going in the early a section.
James Clews
Well-Known Member
Our A bodies in Australia are a pain in the butt because they are all US based with the offset driveline to clear the L/H US steering box but we have R/H drive and a steering box on the R/H chassis rail! Man the exctractors are tight, especially with power steering box. My chysler has about 3/16 clearance around the steering box with try whys and only 5/8 pipes!
Back in the 90's I knew a guy that put a max wedge in a 65 Dart vert. I have no idea HOW but he did and drove it a bunch.
The C body HP manifolds are another option. They are said to give a little more room. Although sometimes the driver's side needs to be angle milled to pull the flange away from the steering shaft. I am going to use the C body manifolds on my 64.
pishta
I know I'm right....
Drop it in with HP manifolds... or cut the inners out and run a real header then fab an inner thay fits your headers. Tie the shocks with hoops off the front frame arms like a modern truck. The streetmasters are dimensioned out somewhere in here (by me) and are literally 2 nested U channels connected by a bolt to resemble a hinge. The pic in this thread is the same ones I used and would be very easy to fab up. If you can actually get the motor back about 3 inches toward the rear, stock b headers will fit the passenger side! Only hangup i had with Pro-Parts semi fenderwells were the tubes to the collector came right across the idler arm arc. If the motor was back 3 inches the tube would have rode right over the arc and dropped into the collector as a 67 would fit with its front wheelbase and steering forward 3 inches. Thats how I saw it when I ran mine. Driver side was a complete reroute of 1 tube around the same pitman arm interference. RB is going to get your headers out a tad farther than a B and off the pan rail as they seem to be designed for a RB as mine hit the pan rails and I had to clearance a tube so they would seal up top. It worked , it was fun, dangerous as hell as the slightest gas in a turn would break the puny fender shrouded tires loose in the back, and didn't last long as I had to give the loaner 451 motor back to its owner once he got a 69 Barracuda project. He gave me the 340 that was in it for payment for saving the 451 from the big padlock of the storage wars guys. He lost a 64 Barracuda 4sp (with no motor) to those guys. He was overseas and called me frantically at about 3pm to go get what I could before midnight! Loaded the breakdown cherry picker into the back of my Diamante and snagged the motor out of the car and a few carbs and a bunch of his tools alone. Couldnt get the trans out.. Bummer for him.
charles mill
Wildman68
yall are great and i have used some of that truck dont work hand made dont work . sorry on all and 64-70 A body big block K frames work stock mounts . i have four sale and sway bars this alines all . and we race.
charles mill
Wildman68
no as you stock will work . why dot . frame straight tracking my sorce i kick *** on all on start; yall go cheap and junk.
Hey,
It’s been a little while but I’ve been measuring side-to-side offset on a couple of occasions. I keep coming up with a consistent 69 mm (2.7”) difference between left and right which gives an offset of 1 3/8” towards passenger.
I’ve used a laser that shoots a vertical line through an empty block and tranny case “perfectly” centered. That line runs parallel to the chassis 1 3/8” offset when the tranny is on the trans cross member in the original bolt hole.
I’ve measured the offset at several points, right behind the tranny, right in front of the rear wheel well, between the rear frame rails, by the leaf spring holders and btw the leaf springs themselves. It’s consistent. The mounting hole for the trans mount is offset by about twice as much as it should.
I figure the best is if the drive line (my laser line) is parallel to the differential input shaft line. Both horizontally and vertically. So I guess I’ll mount my engine a little further to passenger than normal.
Question: what is a good incline for the engine? I’ve got it at 3 degrees right now and that seems about right to me.
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
wow! going a bit crazy with measurements.. overthinking a bit i think..
when i did th e440 in mine what i did was bolt the trans in, bolted the motor tot he trans and lowered the motor in as low as i could get it and not interfere with the oil pump.. i used a level on the carb flange to see how level i could get it.. sat a hair high in the front (not even half a bubble from what i remember) because i didn't feel like notching the k-frame in the oil pump/filter area. it centered itself left to right pretty much on its own.. we made solid mounts for it and that ***** was smooth as hell..
when i did th e440 in mine what i did was bolt the trans in, bolted the motor tot he trans and lowered the motor in as low as i could get it and not interfere with the oil pump.. i used a level on the carb flange to see how level i could get it.. sat a hair high in the front (not even half a bubble from what i remember) because i didn't feel like notching the k-frame in the oil pump/filter area. it centered itself left to right pretty much on its own.. we made solid mounts for it and that ***** was smooth as hell..
famous bob
mopar misfit
Not really related , but TTI recommends 1 3/8'' for clearance in a gen 2 , with their 2'' headers , worked for me .
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Having the engine that far to the passenger side may limit room for headers/manifolds on the passenger side. Depending on what you plan on running for exhaust, you may want to check on that before locking everything in.
Is the 3 degrees measured with the car level on stands? How did you determine level? TTI claims the measurement from the center of the crankshaft to the top of the K-member should be 4-3/4". Mine ended up about 5-1/2".
Yes, I expect exhaust clearance to be an issue so I will definitely take that into consideration.
The incline is taken with the car on stands, level as far as I can determine. It’s not easy to find a level surface I’m the car. I’ve used the top of the door side, the bottom of the window opening.
I did think of something, I will try to determine the side to side offset of the trans cross member bolt hole for the trans mount tomorrow.
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